Control apparatus



E. E. ROSE AND C. A. SMITH.

CONTROL APPARATU&

APPLlCATION FILED OCT. 6, 1919.

1 1 4 7 H Patented D60. 27, 1921.-

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

All

L INVENTOPS EdwardERase Cbarles A. Smi H;

ATTORNEY E. E. ROSE AND C. A. SMITH.

CONTROL APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6. 1919.

1,401, 47, Patented Dec. 27, 1921..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l I I I i I I I I l I l I l E I I I I I l WITNESSES: INVENTORS Edward E. Rose 8 Chan es A.Smifh Q ATTdRNEY Q "3 v E. E. ROSE AND C. A. SMITH.

' CONTROL APPARATUS.

APPLICATAON FILED on. 6, 1919.

1,401,647, Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHE 3- 11-74. F95

WITNESSES: I & WM CharhsAJmith ATTORNEY 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. ROSE, OF SWISSVALE, AND CHARLES A. SMITH, OF EDGEWOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MAN UFACTUBIN G COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 27, 1921 Application filed October 6, 1919. Serial No. 328,823.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD E. ROSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and CHARLES A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvement in Control Apparatus, of which the following is specification.

Our invention relates to control apparatus and especially to controllers of the drum type that are actuated by power devices.

The object of our invention is to provide a relatively compact combined apparatus of the above-indicated character wherein fa, fiuid-pressure-operated actuating mechanisnnfor example, has a direction of movement transverse to that of the drum controller and embodies power-transmitting means that are arranged in side-by-side relation in the same plane.

More specificallystated, it is the object of our invention to provide a power-operated actuating apparatus for a drum type.

' controller that extends substantially parallel to the axis of the drum, and power-transmitting means in the form of spiral or helical gear-wheels for operatively connecting the apparatus to the drum, the axes of the gearwheels being substantially parallel to the axis of the control drum.

In the prior art, combined apparatus of the type under consideration has customarily involved the use of fluid-pressure-operated apparatus, or the equivalent, that has been located upon one end of the controller and has operated in the same direction as the drum. The resultant structure has, in general, been of irregular shape and non-compact, structure which has entailed considerable additional time and labor during both the manufacture and installation of the apparatus and also in the subsequent operating maintenance thereof.

According to our present invention, the drum controller and the power apparatus.

both of substantially cylindrical general shape, are located side-by-side within a controller case of a regular rectangular form, andall the power-transmitting means are located in side-by-side relation in the same plane. Arranged in this way, the entire apparatus requires a minimum amount of mounting space, is neat and compact in appearance and is readily accessible for inspection and maintenance by merely removing the front incasing member of the type that is usually employed in connection with the well-known K controllers.

Our invention may best beunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein o Figure 1 is a view, in plan, of a drumcontroller apparatus constructed in accordance with our present invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a view, chiefly in longitudinal section and partially in elevation, of a drum controller and power-operated actuating apparatus therefor constructed and arranged in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 3 is a view,- chiefly in end elevation and partially in section, of the apparatus that is shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 41 to Fig. 14, inclusive, are detail views serving to more clearly illustrate the various parts of the operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus here shown comprises a controller frame or back 1 and a removable incasing member 2. which is provided with a hinge connection 3 and a latching device l, on opposite sides, for attachment to the frame member, the resulting box or chamber being divided into two compartments 5 and 6 which are, in part, separated by a partition or barrier 7 that is suitably secured to the frame 1. A notching relay 8 is mounted upon the partition 7 within the compartment 5, while the major compartment 6 is occupied by a device 9. comprising our novel power-operated actuating apparatus for controller drums.

Since the notching relay 8, although employed in conjunction with the electrical control of the controlling device 9, forms no part of our present invention, it is not deemed necessary to further describe the reay. I 1

Referring, therefore, to the device 9, this apparatus comprises a' power-operated piston and cylinder mechanism 15 whichis electrically controlled through the agency of a when actuating coil 34 is energized, the

' porting thepower-operated apparatus .is

secured by a plurality of bolts 22130 the controller frame 1. Positioned within the cradle 21 are a plurality of alined, cylinders 23 and 24 within which a pair of piston members 25 and 26 are adapted to operate, being rigidly bolted to the ends of a rack member 27, one side of which is provided with a plurality of spiral or helical teeth 28, as best shown in Fig. 14. I

The magnet valve 1h embodies a doubleplug'valve member 29 which is normally adapted to effect communication between the operating cylinder 23 and'the atmosphere and is further adapted, when lifted through the agency or" the energization of an actuating coil30,to admit air or other fluid medium under pressure from a supply pipe 31 to the cylinder 23.

On the other hand, the magnet valve 17 comprises a double-plugvalve member 32 which is normally adapted to admit air under pressure from a supply pipe or passage 33 to the operating cylinder 24 and,

valve member 32 is adapted to cut oil such normal fluid communication and effect the release of air under pressure from the operating cylinder 24 to the aq'zmosphetoe.

By reason of the initial presenc of fluid under pressure in the operating cylinder 24, whereas atmospheric pressure obtains in the othencylinder 23, the piston members 25 and 26 are biased to the extreme position 1 that is illustrated in Fig. 2.

For supplying air or other fluid medium under pressure to the'pipes or passages 31 and 33, a suitable deliverypipe 35 extends within the controller case substantially 7 parallel to the axis or the operating cylinders pressure (not shown).

and is pneumatically connected in any suit-. able manner with an external source of fluid A plurality of sets of control fingers 41 and 42 are adapted toengage suitable conlimited in its application and any drum of greater capacity or, in fact, cams for operating switches may be substituted for the illustrated drums 18 and 19. V

A shaft 43 extends the entire length of the two alined drums 18 and 19 and its intermediate portion is inclosed within bearing openings 44 in two similar caps or journals 45, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. The drums 18 and 19 are thus of the overhanging type, being support- .ed only at the central portion of their operating shaft 43. In this way,.a compact and inexpensive drum arrangement is provided, since bearings or pedestals for the outer ends of the drums are not necessary.

. Rigidly secured to the shaft 43 between the drums 18 and 19, is a spiral or helical pinion 46 which meshes with an alined second helical or spiral pinion 47, the operating shaft 48 of which-extends parallel to the drum shaft 43 and the rack member 27.

'The'shaft 48 is located in bearing openings ings 57 in the two caps or journals 45.

Suitable bolts 58 serve to secure the journals 45 to the bracket member 50 and thus rigidly position the spiral pinion 46 and the drums 18 and 19. The opposite endof the bracket member 50 comprises four arms '59 which, as clearly 'shown' n Fig. 3, act as guide members for the sliding rack 27. A

pair of laterally extending lugs'or arms 60 are provided'near one pair of the guide members 59, while a corresponding pair of lugs 61 are located near the opposite pair of guide'members. A plurality of bolts 62 and 63, shown in Fig. 3, serve to secure the bracket members 50 to the stirrup orsaddle 21, whereby the spiral pinion 47 is'rigidly positioned to properly mesh with the spiral rack member 27. 7 It will beseen that we have thus provided a relatively compact and self-contained drum controller and power-operated actuat-- r mg apparatus therefor, wherein the axes of the drums and of the operating cylinders extend in substantiallyparallel lines, while the axes of the spiral pinions not only extend also in parallel relation to the drum axis, but all the axes. in question are located in the same plane, as is clearly evident from the sectional view of Fig. 3. i

The operation of our apparatus may be set forth as follows. Upon concurrent energization ofthe actuating coils'30 and 34, the.

initial unbalanced fiuid pressure conditions in the operating cylinders are reversed, that is, fluid under pressure is admitted the magnet valve 16 to the operatin'gcylinder 23 and is released from the operating through V '9 cylinder 24 through the magnet valve 17. Consequently, the piston members 25 and 26 and the rack 27 move toward the right, when considering the structure shown in Fig. 2, whereby the helical or spiral teeth 2-8 on the rack cause the meshing pinion member 47 to rotate in a clockwise direction, viewed from the right-hand end of Fig. 2, and the other spiral pinion 46 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction to effect the desired rotative movement of the drums l8 and 19.

To arrest such movement, at any time, it is merely necessary to deenergize the magnet valve 17, whereupon balanced high-pressure conditions obtain in the two operating cylinders 23 and 24:, and the desired stoppage is positively and reliably effected;

To produce a return movement of the apparatus to the illustrated position, the magnet valves 16 and 17 are concurrently deenergized, whereupon fluid-pressure conditions in the apparatus revert to the original unbalanced state, and the desired backward movement is effected.

We do not wish to be restricted to the specific structural details or arrangement of parts herein set forth, as various modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our inven tion. We desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed upon our invention as are indicated in the appended claims;

We claim as our invention:

1. In a controller, the combination with a movable control member, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor having a direction of movement transverse to the plane of rotation of said member, and power-transmitting means interposed between said apparatus and said member and comprising a plurality of elements arranged in side-by-side relation.

2. In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of a power-operated actuating apparatus extending substantially parallel to the axis of said member, and a plurality of meshing gear-wheels arranged in side-by-side relation and respectively secured to said apparatus and to said member.

3. In a controller, the combination with a movable control member, of an electricallycontrolled, fluid-pressureoperated actuating apparatus therefor having a direction of movement transverse to the plane of rotation of said member, and a plurality of power-transmitting members arranged in side-by-side relation and interposed between said apparatus and said member.

4. In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of a fluid-pressure-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said member, and a plurality of meshing gear-wheels for transmitting power from said apparatus to said member, said gearwheels having substantially parallel axes.

5. In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said member, and a pluralityof meshing gearwheels for transmitting power from said apparatus to said member, said gear-wheels having axes substantially parallel to the axis of the control member.

6. In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor having a direction of movement transverse to the plane of rotation of said member, and a plurality of meshing gear-wheels respectively secured to said apparatus and said member and having axes substantially parallel to the axis of the control member.

7 In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said member and comprising a spiral rack and meshing pinion, and a second pinion meshing with the other and secured to said control member.

8. In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of a poweroperated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said member and comprising a spiral rack and meshing pinion, and a second pinion meshing with the other and secured to said control member, the axes of said rack and said pinions being in the same plane.

9. In a controller, the combination with a rotatable control member, of an electricallycontrolled, fluid-pressure-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said member and comprising a spiral rack and meshing pinion, and a second pinion meshing with the other and secured to said control member.

10. In a controller, the combination with two movable control members, of a poweroperated actuating apparatus therefor, power transmitting means interposed between said apparatus and a point intermediate said control members, and supporting means for said power-transmitting means constituting the sole support for said control members.

11. In a controller, the combination with a pair of alined movable control members, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor having a direction of movement transverse to the plane of rotation of said mem- 1 power-transmitting means constituting the sole support for said control members.

12. In a controller, the combination with a pair of alined rotatable control members, of a power-operated actuating apparatus extending substantially parallel to the axis of said members, a plurality oi meshing gearwheels arranged in side-by-side relation and respectively secured to said apparatus and between said mom iers, and supporting means for said gear-wheels constituting the sole support for said control members.

13. In a controller, the combination with a pair of alined rotatable control members, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said members, a plurality of meshing gear-wheels for transmitting power from said apparatus to a point between said control members, said gear-wheels having axes substantially parallel to the axis of said control members, and supporting bracket device for said gear-wheels constituting the sole support for the control members.

14. In a controller, the combination with a pair of alined rotatable control members, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis of said members and comprising a spiral'rack and meshing pinion, a second pinion meshing with the other and secured between said control members, and a supmembers.

15. In a controller, the combination with a pair of alined rotatable control members, of a power-operated actuating apparatus therefor extending substantially parallel to the axis or said members and comprising a spiral rack and meshing pinion, a second pinion meshing with the other and secured between said control members, the axes of said rack and said pinions being in the same plane, and a supporting journal device for said pinions constituting the sole support for the control members.

16. In a controller, the combination with a pair pf alined control drums, of a fluidpressure operated actuating apparatus therefor having an operating cylinder structure and a piston-actuated rack member, a V

pinion meshing with said rack member, a second pinion meshing with the other and secured between said control rinemberg, a supporting bracket for the first named pinion secured to said cylinder structure and a supporting journal for the other pinion secured'to said bracket and constituting the sole support for said drums j In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names this 4th day of Oct,

1919. I EDWARD n. ROSE.

CHARLES a. SMITH. 

